i have been called to serve a mission for the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints for eighteen months in the nicaragua managua south mission. my family has agreed to post my weekly emails here, as well as any comments or posts they wish to add.

Monday, February 29, 2016

29 de Febrero 2016

leap day!

this week was actually long. which is not normal on the mission. and let me tell you why!

tuesday was an adventure. we started the afternoon off with some really delicious

potato salad, with beets, eggs, carrots, and potatoes.yumm... we had some plans to

help nelson, a young man about my age, get baptized this weekend, but when we

got there to do an interview, we had some troubles finding him. so we went and

contacted some less actives while we waited for him to get back to the house. while

entering a less active´s home, the neighbor started screaming that he was going to

call the police because he had a signed document saying that we weren´t allowed to

be there. funny, because i had never met the man. while saying the closing prayer,

he came running out, screaming and shouting that we were violating the law and that

he was going to call the police. the less active and her daughter came running to the

door to try and hide us and while the cranky old man went running in the get said

document, we made a speedy exit. come to find out that nelson was sleeping and so

we made a ¨quick¨ visit to carlos´s house to verify everything. (quick note, nelson and

carlos literally live on opposite ends of our area...) but we made it, like an hour late, but

he was waiting for us, book of mormon out and the seats all ready. it was soo adorable.

we taught him the gospel of jesus christ, and then were on the run back out to meet with

nelson. all in vain, because nelson had gotten drunk on sunday after we had called him

and left for rivas on wednesday morning.... fallen baptismal date for this weekend. what a day.

wednesday was a weird day because we did our weekly planning session. we had our lesson

with carlos to verify some commandments and some loose ends for the baptism this saturday.

a member, sister maria esther, even let us use her patio to have the lesson because the church

was closed.

thursday we spent all day in managua practically. we had a multizone meeting with Elder Ochoa,

the first counselor in the Central America Area Presidency. talk about a neat experience. there

just aren´t words for the all the questions that i got answered. i got a package and got to share

some valentine´s day love from the family with the whole zone. (don´t worry, the m&m´s stayed

in my and sister naumu´s control...) we had some quick lessons and then had to call it a day. i

was so exhausted that night that i was literally falling asleep in our less active lessons....

friday was a busy day, starting with sister naumu´s magical rain poncho. she had a lot of fun trying

it on, and i busted a gut the entire time... a district meeting, and then going to work, trying to make

up for numbers and to get things ready for the baptism. but we were able to find a member reference

and have a great opportunity to teach the restoration to them. then it was an emergency trip out to

carlos because he couldn´t make it to el rosario, where we taught him the plan of salvation. he was

waiting for us, even if we did have to have the lesson sitting on the curb.

saturday, my companion completed two weeks without a voice. the nurse said that it should

be coming back any day now, so she prescribed some mucinex to help with the cough for now.

then we got a call at 9am, ¨hermanas, no hay agua en la capilla.¨ translation, sisters there is no

water in the chapel. AAHHHH. start the search with the bishop for water **here**. the district

leader came and got lost in our area trying to help us sign our baptism record, and was able

to help us organize with the zone leaders to have carlos´s baptism with them at the same time.

the only member we had from el rosario present was the ward mission leader, but i am not going

to complain. it was super last minute. it was raining, but i didn´t have to shout over the rain this

time. by some miracle, we got everything figured out and CARLOS GOT BAPTIZED! repeat,

we had a baptism. see attached gleaming photos, please. then it was back to work, and to run

some errands, which proved pointless because the medicine was rancid... gotta love nicaraguans.

sunday was a joy because we had a confirmation. carlos is now a member! but we also didn´t

have progressing investigators in church, so now we have to work double time and smarter to

prepare for march. also, yesterday my first convert, Andy, completed his first year as a member.

the missionaries in loma linda tell me he is still firm and steadfast in church. :)

today, we had a district activity, so we went to lunch and played soccer. this is our fail at a

championship football team picture. three latins and six wannabes. whatcha gonna do?

2 timothy 2:3-4

::Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth

entangleth himself with the affairs of this life;that he may please him who hath chosen him to